Boiled down to the bare minimum, all sports are simply games to be enjoyed…right? Can’t sports just be summed up as physical activity?
I believe the answer to both of those questions is a resounding no.
Sure, sports are physically taxing, require hard work and are often fun to play, but there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the true value and benefit of sports. Sports drive the athlete to work hard at their goals, which is a practice that also translates into real life.
Having played basketball for over six years, I was bound to run into a coach that didn’t like me. Junior-year-me walked into practice on the first day excited for the season and completely unaware of what waited for me. Every day involved high-intensity practices, talented teammates and worst of all, a coach that hated my guts. Most of my practice time involved running for punishment, and during games, I played a very perturbed left-bench.
This experience served as a huge wake-up call for the wide-eyed, homeschooler that decided to play high school ball for the first time. However, what all of this did teach me was how to push for something that I want, even when it got so hard that all I could think about was quitting. After working hard all season and the summer after, I came back senior year to a starting position on the team.
Hard work isn’t the only value that sports have. The unique relationship-building skills that come about through teamwork cannot be emphasized enough. When a teammate improves, it motivates everyone to work equally as hard, making the team as a whole better for it. On the other hand, when a teammate is struggling, a good sports team rallies around them and supports them, helping them get back to peak performance.
The concept of teamwork in sports smoothly translates to the real world in countless scenarios. Participating in academic group projects, collaborating on projects in the workplace or even raising a family all require strong teamwork skills.
Yet another very significant benefit of playing sports is building confidence.
Picture this: it’s the ninth inning. Your team has two outs and is down 5-4. You can feel the crowd’s eyes pierce into you as you walk to the plate. The deafening shouts and hollers all become white noise. The pitch comes, and you swing. The ball shoots up like lightening and butterflies fill your stomach. You start jogging as you hear, “It’s going… going… gone!” In that moment, you feel the most confident you ever have in your life.
That’s the real magic of sports—setting and hitting one’s goals in sports creates a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and confidence that is nearly unmatched. The kind of confidence that comes from sports is often utilized in real life and can improve moods and provide self-assurance.
So yes, sports are games and they are fun, but there is so much more that can be gleaned from playing them. Whether it’s learning how to work hard, building confidence or being able to work in teams, the many benefits of sports make them more than simple games.